2018 Events in Philippine television
This is a list of events taking place in 2018 related to Philippine television. January * January 15 – ABS-CBN Regional Channel and Tag ceased broadcasting due to a change in business direction of Creative Programs Inc. * January 16 – A day after a change in business direction of Creative Programs Inc., Liga starts its official broadcast as features the latest and classic sporting events from ABS-CBN Sports. Also as the official broadcaster of 2018 FIFA World Cup. Since the revival of their former channel, Balls went off-the-air two years of absence and a day absorbed to S+A HD which is now under their simulcast feed. The first test broadcast was launched on January 1. * January 31 – After 12 years of broadcasting, Filipino-dubbed anime channel Hero has ceased on the night, due to lack of advertising support and change in business direction of Creative Programs Inc. immediately after Tag and ABS-CBN Regional Channel went off-the-air 15 days after.Voice Actors, Personalities reacts to HEROtv’s closure Anime Pilipinas. February 3, 2018. February *February 1 - The boards for ABS-CBN Corporation and Robisco announce their intent to explore a potential merger. The study will be conducted at the behest of Martin L. López which holds controlling interest in both Robisco and ABS-CBN. It comes at a time when the media landscape faces changes with the still-pending acquisition by GMA Network of BHI's entertainment assets. * February 12 – Light Network was renamed back as Light TV with its new slogan "God's Channel of Blessings". * February 17 – TV5 unveiled a new logo, a secondary name The 5 Network and station ID entitled Get It on 5, whereas the TV on the northeastern quadrant of the logo has been dropped, making it more flexible for the other divisions to use it as part of their own identity. Along with the rebranding, TV5's programming grid has also divided into four blocks: ESPN 5 (Sports), News 5 (News and Information), On 5 (Entertainment, Blocktimers and Home Shopping), and Kapamilya 5 (ABS-CBN programming). March * March 27 – Major networks FBNNational, GMA Network, Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation and ABS-CBN Corporation issued a joint statement regarding their differences related to their news reports on the latter's AM radio station DZMM during the Pacquiao-Mosley fight in May 2011 based on their news on the former network's live TV broadcast (which is leased their airtime to the network by Solar Entertainment for this fight at that time) with some portions of the latter's news reports containing updates and descriptions of the fight; GMA issued a file an intellectual property violation complaint against ABS-CBN before the Intellectual Property Office. The 2 networks placed their Paid advertisement regarding the statement in the Manila Bulletin on the said date. * March 31 – Toonami has ceased broadcast in Southeast Asia after 5 years of broadcasting. April * April 1–2 – News Patrol, TV Patrol, Umagang Kay Ganda, The Score and Bandila started to broadcast in full high definition after years of broadcasting in standard definition format. * April 2 – After 18 years, Lifestyle becomes Metro Channel. A relaunch of the female-oriented cable channel from Creative Programs, Inc. and the content provider based on Metro, the Philippines' popular monthly lifestyle magazine from ABS-CBN Publishing and its digital media platform. The channel also launched in full high definition on March 15 during its early test broadcast. * April 5-7 – FBN News Update, Arangkada Balita, Wake Up Call, FBN Sports News and Frontlines started to broadcast in full high definition after years of broadcasting in standard definition format. * April 12 – Ika-6 na Utos actress Ryza Cenon transferred to FBN after leaving GMA. * April 19 – During the company's annual stockholders meeting, the ABS-CBN board of directors voted in favor and elected Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III as the chairman Emeritus and his cousin, Chief Technology Officer Martin "Mark" Lopez as his successor as Chairman of the network. Gabby Lopez will be the second executive to be elected as chairman Emeritus, succeeded his late father, Eugenio "Geny" Lopez, Jr..Camus, Miguel R. Gabby Lopez steps down; cousin Mark taking over Retrieved 2018-04-20.Gabby Lopez 3rd retires as ABS-CBN chairman – The Manila Times Online www.manilatimes.net. Retrieved 2018-04-20. * April 29 – Kristel de Catalina, spiral pole dance from Antipolo City, Rizal, wins the sixth season of Pilipinas Got Talent, the grand finals of which were held at the Bren Z. Guiao Sports Complex and Convention Center in San Fernando City, Pampanga.'Pilipinas Got Talent' season 6 winner Kristel de Catalina Rappler. April 29, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018. * April 30 – The Department of Tourism receives their P 60,000,000 ad placement given to government-owned People's Television Network for airing it on Ben Tulfo's program Kilos Pronto produced by Bitag Media Unilimted, Inc. (in which the blocktimer sells its production time to the network); the contract was not supported with proper documents such as the Memorandum of Agreement and Certificate of Performance contrary to Section 4 of Presidential Decree 1445 and COA Circular No. 2012-001. An investigation on the alleged advertisement anomaly is being conducted by Malacanang, Tourism seceretary Wanda Tulfo Teo said that Ben along with his brother Erwin Tulfo will return its P 60 million ad placement from DOT to prove there was no anomaly in the advertisement deal and there was no conflict on the deal because it was a government-to-government deal between the DOT and PTV. Teo was later resigned on May 8 because of the controversy. May * May 25 – FBNNational formally launched its digital terrestrial television brand, Sky TV+. * May 26 – Samm Alvero and Kaye Reyes were named as the new MYX VJs at the end of MYX VJ Search 2018. * May 27 – After 2 years and 7 months, Bloomberg TV Philippines ceased its broadcast at midnight due to higher license fees. * May 28 – One News starts its official launch of localized news channel in partnership with MVP-owned media properties News5, The Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, Bloomberg TV Philippines and content provider Probe Productions. Bloomberg-produced programs will be still be carried by One News. June * June 2 **Janine Berdin from Lapu-Lapu, Cebu was hailed as the Grand Champion of the second year of Tawag ng Tanghalan on It's Showtime. **''She from Cebu City was hailed as the Grand Champion of the second year of Running in the 2018s on Student Canteen. * June 5 ** ABS-CBN News Channel ceased broadcasting due to income losses and stiff competition. ** RJTV returned after four years of hiatus and became the second broadcaster to completely switch off its analog transmission. Digital transmission began on the following day. The newly-reformatted DTT channel began airing at 12 midnight on major cable operators, with TV Shop Philippines, as its first program to air during the test broadcast on the newly-launched channel, followed by re-run of some of the local programs aired on RJTV including Pinoy Wrestling. * June 13 - In an attempt to thwart GMA Network's planned acquisition of most Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation assets, Nine Media Corporation (owner of rival FBNNational) makes a P21 billion all-cash bid on the entertainment assets of the Jose Avellana-owned company, which includes IBC Sports and a 30% stake in UBA (which, when combined with their existing 30% stake, would give NMC a controlling interest in the streaming service). However, one week later GMA upped its bid to P23 billion in cash and stock, which IBC favors over NMC. * June 27 - The Philippine Department of Justice approves the takeover of Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation's entertainment assets by GMA Network on the condition that the sale not include IBC Sports as originally planned. GMA is cited as the reasoning for the divestiture. It is unknown whether the IBCS will be divested to other companies or remain part of the smaller "Islands", which will include the remainder of IBC Sports. * June 29 - FBNNational celebrates its 58th anniversary of FBN. July * July 7 – Eat Bulaga! began the countdown to their 40th anniversary celebration which will held on July 30, 2019, through EB Version 4.0. * July 15 – ABS-CBN, FBN, GMA Network, IBC and 5 aired the boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Argentinan boxer Lucas Matthysse, billed as the "Fight of Champions" which will be took place at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The boxing match is also broadcast live on pay-per-view through NMC's subsidary company Sky Cable and 5's sister company Cignal and on radio via GMA's AM radio station DZBB-AM, FM radio station DWLS and its network of AM radio stations; with rebroadcasts on the former's sister network S+A and FBN Sports TV, the latter's cable channel Hyper and Solar Sports (who is formerly aired the Pacquiao fights from 2002 to 2016 and they previously sub-licensed the fights for over-the-air television with ABS-CBN from 2005-06 and GMA from 2007-16). The three networks was have previously involved in the roadblock airing of his match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. billed as "The Fight of the Century", or the "Battle for Greatness" with Solar Entertainment Corporation in May 2015. * July 30 ** ABS-CBN Corporation officially launched its two new additional digital terrestrial television channels on ABS-CBN TV Plus (alongside with pay TV providers, Sky Cable, Destiny Cable and Sky Direct), Asianovela Channel, the country's first all-day Filipino-dubbed Asian drama channel that focused on highly acclaimed dramas series from South Korea, Taiwan and China and Movie Central, an all-day movie channel that includes a line-up of Hollywood blockbuster movies. Aside from new additional channels, Myx, Jeepney TV and O Shopping are now included for ongoing free trial basis exclusively for ABS-CBN TV Plus subscribers in selected areas only. Meanwhile on Sky Cable and Sky Direct subscribers, both channels are also on free trial basis on basic monthly plans starting on the third week of August. ** FBNNational officially launched its new additional digital terrestrial television free-trial channel on Sky TV+, Time Machine Channel. August * August 5 - People's Television Network airs an mistake of showing a photo of a People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 054A Jiangkai II-class vessel with the Philippine flag waving in their story on President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement on his plan to send a Philippine Navy ship to Libya to help rescue Filipino hostages abducted by terrorists, which is aired on the network's weekend newscast Ulat Bayan and on the network's Facebook page. The network has removed their Facebook post on August 7 and they apologized “for the inadvertent use of wrong photos” for the story. * August 19 - TNT Boys (Keifer Sanchez, Mackie Empuerto and Francis Concepcion) of Manila & Indonesia won as the first Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids Season 2 grand champion. Upcoming * October 23 - ABS-CBN Corporation celebrates its 65th anniversary of Philippine television and the 65th anniversary of ABS-CBN after the logo was launched since 2014, three years ago. References Category:Television in the Philippines Category:2018 in Philippine television Category:Philippine television-related lists